


Percent

by intergalacticfeminist



Series: Beginning and End [2]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Angst, Annoying K-2SO, Arguing, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Original Character(s), Pre-Canon, Robot Feels, Sassy K-2SO, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-19 08:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9428750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intergalacticfeminist/pseuds/intergalacticfeminist
Summary: Cassian and K-2SO have accompanied each other through thick and thin. Although the friends' relationship has been tested many times, they always stand together. Even when K-2SO slaps Cassian "because he felt like it."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, initially the first fic in this series, Imperial Droids and How to Reprogram Them, was going to be a standalone, but then I had some friends read it, and one of them wanted more. So, here you are, bud, the fic you wanted!

It was just days after the Imperial droid had been reprogrammed. Somehow Cassian had miraculously been let off with only a warning for going off task. The droid had spilled all he knew, which as it turned out wasn't much.

K-2SO, considering he was just reprogrammed, didn't have much to talk about except for whatever opinion he had about anything at all. And, he had one other incredibly annoying habit.

He followed Cassian absolutely  _everywhere._ There was no exaggeration. If Cassian was sleeping, K-2SO was sitting there the entire time. If he was eating, surely enough the droid would cast a shadow over the table and make quips about every conversation there. Going to the bathroom? K-2SO was outside the door. Cassian had no idea why Kay did that but it was really irritating. After the third day Kay had been at the base, he confronted him. "Why the hell are you following me around like this?" He asked frustratedly.

Kay's glowing silver photoreceptors swiveled around the room before he said, "Ah, yes, thank you for your concern," it was hard to miss the sarcasm in his voice, "People don't seem to like me."

The second part seemed serious enough. "Well, if you're going to act like a baby animal following their mother around and you're going to insult people left and right, then it's not hard to imagine why they don't seem to like you." Cassian responded.

It had come out harsher than he had meant it. Kay's sagging shoulders lifted slightly in a self-important gesture. "You don't trust me." He said, looking down at Cassian.

 _So he can at least recognize some feelings towards him..._ thought Cassian as he struggled for a response. There was a pause before he replied, "That is... true. But, I mean, we've only known each other for, what? Three days now. It's not that hard to get."

Cassian regretted that last sentence. Kay couldn't help himself. "You should go to bed. We have a job tomorrow, don't we?"

The subject change was jarring, although Kay was correct. The next day, the two of them were due to meet an anonymous client with news about the Death Star, and the sun had been down for a few hours. Cassian heaved a sigh as he retreated to his bunk.

-

It was the crack of dawn. He could feel something poking him repeatedly in the side. Without processing it, Cassian drew his blaster from a hidden niche under his bunk and pointed it at whoever had been touching him. Kay jerked back. "Don't shoot me  _again._ "

Cassian put the blaster aside, shaken. "Don't do that, Kay."

Predictably, Kay didn't apologize. He only narrowly avoided hitting his head again and walked out of the bunk ahead of his friend. If he could even call him his friend. Cassian ate a hasty breakfast before suiting up and getting in his ship. They had been out of the atmosphere for about five minutes before Kay got Cassian's attention.

"What?" asked the pilot.

"You forgot to give me a blaster." Kay said, holding out his hands for inspection.

"So I did." Cassian said tersely.

"Aren't you going to give me one?" Kay queried.

He sounded expectant. "No." Cassian said quietly.

"But why not?" the droid pried.

Cassian could hear the first few sparks of hurt and anger in his companion's voice. "You were right yesterday. I don't trust you. Look, Kay, I don't trust anyone anymore. Can we put it at that?" He said, hoping to diffuse the small amount of tension between them.

There wasn't a response, but a small glance over to the seat next to him told him that Kay was looking down into his lap and swinging his legs back and forth (or, he was trying too, since his legs were long enough that his feet touched the ground and his knees bent slightly upward – it was more of a dragging-feet-across-the-ground thing). Pouting like a small child. "Sorry, Kay." Cassian said.

The droid looked over at Cassian but still didn't say anything. He had stopped dragging his feet, at least.

It took about an hour to reach Baenov, a small, crowded planet that was mostly overrun by Stormtroopers. It used to be a major rebel base, but they had been defeated some 10 years back. The planet itself wasn't well-known, and unfortunately that was a risk because unfamiliar faces could easily be spotted. Cassian landed his ship behind some rickety tents. He quickly made sure that all of his weapons were concealed before he and Kay disembarked. The street was full of smoky fumes from cooking fires outside despite the rain and was packed with people. Glancing upward, Cassian could see snipers on the rooftops. Finally they came to the alley where he was supposed to meet his client. There was a lithe figure in the corner of the alley, tucked away from the view of even the snipers. The person, with a hand on their blaster which was strapped to their hip, asked in a low voice, "Are you Cassian Andor?"

"What gave it away?" Cassian said quietly.

"Not sure. Could just tell." the client replied.

"You'd think that the droid would have disguised pretty well." Cassian said, trying to appear easygoing.

"Hello." said Kay, sounding weirdly affable.

Cassian quickly shot him a look before turning back to the client. The client lowered their hood. The client was a woman with black skin, long hair in two thick ponytails down her back, and green-blue eyes. She had high cheekbones and a serious face. "I'm Joran Biabru. I have information about the Death Star plans."

"Isn't that brilliant?" Kay said rather loudly.

"Ignore him. He says whatever is on his mind." Cassian said.

"That happens with reprogramming." Joran said

"How do you know that?" Cassian asked.

"I build and program droids undercover for the Resistance. I'm one of the few left from the attack on Baenov. All eight of us are underground here." Joran explained.

Cassian nodded. "So, what is it you know?"

Joran glanced around to see if anybody was looking at them from the street or the rooftops. "I can't be certain," she said. "But I overheard that there might be a flaw in the plans."

"And?"

"It's on purpose."

Cassian felt breathless suddenly. "Where did you hear this?" He asked, inwardly wincing at the tinge of excitement in his voice.

"Off some woman visiting here. She was whispering pretty intently to some man she knew. Looked like one of Saw Gerrera's guys." Joran said.

Cassian stifled an elated sigh. "Is that it for the information you have?" He asked.

"I'm afraid so. It was nice meeting you, Captain. And your droid." Joran said with a small smile.

"I'm not  _his_ droid, thank you very much." said Kay.

Cassian rolled his eyes. "No, you're not. Whatever. It was nice to meet you too."

-

The ride back was uneventful. Cassian was working on containing his excitement over what Joran Biabru had told him. "I told you that you wouldn't need a blaster." He said to Kay.

"I suppose so." Kay said bitterly.

"It's not like you need one anyway. Think about it."

"I have. What is it you are thinking about that I can still do for combat without a blaster?"

"Kay, I know you're not stupid. You threw me into that wall the first time we met pretty easily."

"There is that."

Kay sounded sad.

"What's wrong?" Cassian asked.

"I knew that woman. She didn't recognize me, of course. She was tortured for information about rebel whereabouts when I was there. She was strong. She convinced them that she had no knowledge of anything, that she hadn't been with the rebels on Baenov, and somehow they let her go." Kay said.

"How?" Cassian said. "That's pretty much impossible."

Kay paused before he spoke. "I think she used the Force."

"Kay, nobody can use the Force anymore." Cassian said skeptically. He was thrown off-guard by the caustic droid's change in tone.

"Perhaps not. But there was a good 85% chance that she was using it." Kay said.

"But Kay, what about the other 15% chance?" Cassian asked.

He couldn't doubt Kay's calculations, but it still didn't seem right.

"That's a small chance."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassian and Kay cross paths with an insidiously clever inventor and have a much needed heart-to-heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought I'd get to updating this fic so quickly! Well, here I am, and here it is in all its glory. Soooo, this is of course where the action comes in, along with some robot feels...

Cassian and Kay were cornered. Stormtroopers surrounded them on all sides. The one in the middle, presumably the leader, removed his helmet – something that neither of them had anticipated. For once, in an intense situation Kay hadn't blurted out any odds. The lead Stormtrooper, a younger man with a hard face, laughed cruelly. "Have fun, Andor."

He held aloft a cylindrical device that looked like a grenade. Cassian knew it wasn't. He exchanged glances with the droid. "You're not a Stormtrooper." Kay said suddenly.

"Oh, K-2SO, you _do_ remember me." the man said in a sickeningly loving tone.

Cassian registered the tension in Kay's body, and knew that something was very wrong. "Of course I do." said the droid, returning none of the man's feelings.

The man gave an ugly smile and said, "I know how you operate, K-2SO. I invented your model."

Cassian felt his stomach drop. Kay's hands curled into fists. "Don't do it, Kay." Cassian whispered.

The inventor's smirk deepened. "Oh, he won't," he said smugly. "Not to me, anyway."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cassian asked, the knot in his stomach growing.

The inventor held the cylindrical device above his head and pressed the button. There was an odd mechanical humming noise, and before Cassian knew what was happening, he had been thrown all the way across the room. He tried to push himself up, but his limbs felt like putty.  _What was that?_ He was about to ask the question before he caught sight of Kay.

The droid's silver eyes were glowing pools of cold, hard light and he was already crossing the room, machinery whirring in a frenzy inside of him. "Kay..." Cassian managed to choke out before he was slammed against the wall.

He felt something hard strike his jaw, and his head snapped painfully to the side. Cassian was starting to process the fact that his own droid had been set upon him by some sort of strange disruptor frequency that only affected Kay's model of droid. He began to struggle, although he knew it was futile. The droid was many times stronger than him. Cassian cried out as the droid's hand cracked across his face again.  _"Kay, stop it!"_ Cassian yelled hoarsely, tears of pain springing to his eyes.

It was as if the droid was deaf. It was eerie how he made no sound as Kay took Cassian by the back of his neck and slammed him onto the floor. Cassian caught a glimpse of the inventor's face as he went down. His face was mostly blank, but the sadistic joy was visible as a strange fever light in his eyes. Cassian could feel his face swelling where he'd been struck, and was mostly sure that at least two of his ribs had been broken. Still, Cassian felt like Kay was somehow holding back as he was once again slammed into the ground, his head cracking against the hard floor. He could feel the back of his head growing warm and damp. "Kay, please, stop." Cassian half-whispered, struggling for breath.

Cassian anticipated a blow that never came. He cracked open the eye that hadn't completely swollen shut. Kay was standing above him, seemingly frozen. The inventor was also standing stock-still, his mouth hanging upon in comedic horror. Cassian coughed, trying to push himself up. His arms were shaking too much, though, and from his prone position he watched as the droid turned, picked up the inventor, whose jaw had dropped, if possible, even further, and said, "Screw you," before tossing him into the Stormtroopers, who weren't sure what to do. Cassian felt himself almost fall unconscious as the droid lifted him over his shoulder and hurried away from the scene. The last thing Cassian saw before he fainted completely was the ground. It was further away than he remembered.

When Cassian came to he was lying in what he recognized to be the infirmary back at camp. "Well, finally, you're awake. Was it fun passing out?" came Kay's voice from some corner of the room.

All Cassian could muster was a groan. His head felt fuzzy and he could feel thick bandages wrapped around his torso. There was some clanking from somewhere to his left and he heard a doctor say, "Don't speak. You're badly hurt."

He half-expected the the doctor to add under his breath, "... no thanks to that droid."

The quip never came. The only sound in the room was a deep mechanical hum. Cassian heard the doctor leave. He was about to attempt to turn to face Kay when instead the droid leaned over him. "I'm sorry, Cassian. About what Krannurak made me do." He said.

"Why are you apologizing?" Cassian croaked.

"Why do  _think_ I'm apologizing?" Kay replied. "It's as if you don't expect me to actually care about anything because of my tendencies."

"Hang on," said Cassian, distracted. "Did you say Krannurak? As in Coris Krannurak?"

"The very same. I thought we were in the middle of our heartfelt apologies." Kay said, arms crossed.

"Oh, that's right." Cassian said, painfully adjusting himself.

"You look terrible." Kay observed, deadpan.

"I thought the keyword was  _heartfelt."_ Cassian said, holding in a laugh.

"Oh, right."

The droid didn't sound like he fully cared. It was no doubt some faulty wiring that this kept happening. Cassian could fix it, but tampering with his wiring after Krannurak had so easily accessed Kay's system with just a frequency, he knew that the circuits were susceptible to damage. Aside from that, the droid's personality was too important. Even if he was a pain in the ass sometimes.

In the two weeks that passed, Cassian spent his time recovering in his bunk as Kay talked his ear off. It was at sunset one night that Cassian managed to get past the security droid's exterior. Kay had voiced his laments briefly many times, but most, if not all of the exchanges that the two had had over the time they had been together were sarcastic or at least semi-unfriendly. Still, they had managed to maintain a friendship.

The sun had set, and a darkness had fallen over the rebel camp. A few lone lanterns flickered, casting odd shadows. Kay looked like a black skeleton in the strange lighting, his thin frame hunched over as he sat against the wall. "I wonder what might have happened to us if you hadn't reprogrammed me... Cassian." Somehow the name sounded foreign in his voice. He rarely called Cassian by his own name ever since they had met. Mostly he had called him a litany of insults, his favorite being "meatbag." He had apparently gotten it from some other droid that Cassian had never heard of.

"I do too, sometimes," Cassian said. "But there's not much doubt that had I not reprogrammed you, you would still be a brainless Imperial security droid and I would be dead."

"Droids don't have brains." Kay replied.

"Kay, don't be an idiot. You know it's a saying." Cassian said, rolling his eyes.

Kay's gears made an odd stuttering whir that sounded like... "Oh my God... Are you laughing?"

"No."

The response was too quick, and the droid was too expressive. "Yes, you are. You're such a shit." Cassian said, smiling despite everything.

"Yes, I am." Kay replied in a haughty tone.

"You are _especially_  a shit if you're going to take pride in it." Cassian informed him.

Kay's gears whirred again. "It's your fault, you know. You're the one who reprogrammed me."

"Well, I didn't know that your personality would come out like that. I had limited materials." Cassian said.

"You have limited everything, Cassian." Kay pointed out.

"Yes, thanks for that reminder. It was much-needed." Cassian said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." the droid responded.

Cassian resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Good night, Kay."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after Kay has been reprogrammed, the location of Jyn Erso has finally come about. When she's found, Kay finds some emotions he didn't know he had, as well as a new ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, here it is. The last chapter. Enjoy, and have some Robot Feels™.

It had been 2 years since Cassian Andor had reprogrammed K-2SO. It had taken most of that amount of time for the rest of the rebels to trust Kay as much as Cassian did. Eventually they came to a point where they could send the two off on separate missions without having to worry. The mission to retrieve Jyn Erso just so happened to be an example of one. Cassian no doubt was on some planet overrun by the Dark Side at that point, risking his life yet again for some information about the plans to the Death Star. Kay wasn’t that worried for his friend. He had been on more dangerous missions, including the one that they had met during. Unfortunately he had been left to dwell on Cassian’s fate, as his team had elected he stay outside in case any backup appeared while they were breaking Jyn out. The remainder of the team had been inside for an estimated 1.26 minutes before he heard a scuffle break out. There was a nasty thud before the doors flew open and a small young woman with a dirty face and aqua eyes leapt out of the vehicle. Kay caught her in midair, right around her throat, and threw her down on the ground. “Congratulations,” Kay said, assuming that Jyn would be happy to be broken out, “You are being rescued. Please do not attempt to resists.”

He knew she was going to try, so he might as well add that. Confident that Jyn wasn’t going to run away, considering that she was lying winded on the ground, Kay went to rouse the rest of the team. “We wanted her alive, K-2SO.” A tall man called Thom half-joked.

The humor went completely over Kay’s head. “She is alive.” He said.

“I know.” Thom said.

Kay didn’t let on that he was confused and lifted Jyn Erso to her feet. She was light as a feather, and Kay was aware that her ribs were sticking out even under her layered clothing. “Don’t run off.” He said.

“Wasn’t gonna.” Jyn said breathlessly.

-

Kay immediately pulled Cassian aside as soon as they were back and the captain had spoken to Jyn himself. “I don’t like her.” He said.

Cassian crossed his arms and glanced over his shoulder at Jyn. She was having an intense conversation with Mon Mothma held in whispers. Neither of them looked very happy. “Nor do I. But we have to work with her. She’s a valuable asset to all of us.” He said, scowling.

Cassian looked even more worn than he had that morning. “What happened on the mission? Did you get any information?” Kay asked, noting his slightly bedraggled appearance.

“Surprisingly, it was pretty much the same thing that Joran Biabru said on our first mission. It had to have been true, though, if we’re hearing the same thing from multiple rebel sources.” Cassian said.

“Oh.” Kay said.

-

Kay didn’t want to wait on the ship when they arrived at Jedha. He watched Jyn and Cassian’s retreating backs, thinking about his newly earned nickname –  _Target Practice._ He dearly hoped it wouldn’t stick. Kay didn’t wait on the ship, but instead hung around outside the ship, thinking about all the potential ways that Jyn could get killed on the mission. He was startled from his thoughts by a loud explosion from the heart of Jedha City. He almost put it off, but then there was another. And another. And another. And another. “I knew something bad was going to happen. There was an 88% chance of it.” Kay said to himself as he began to make his way towards the city.

It didn’t take long to locate Jyn and Cassian. Kay was at least two feet taller than everyone around him, and aside from that, the two of them were right in the center of all the action. Soon, Kay spotted a problem. There was a security droid of the exact same model a little ways ahead of him. The crowd had thinned out quite a bit and as soon as the droids came around the bend there was the unmistakable sound of a blaster firing. Kay stared as Jyn Erso felled the other droid with a single blast. The panic was evident on her face as the two made eye contact. “Did you know that wasn’t me?” Kay asked angrily.

“No.” Jyn said, her facial expression clearly belying her statement.

“I thought I told you to stay on the ship.” Cassian said.

Kay noticed a Stormtrooper behind his friend. “You did, but it was boring, and you were in trouble.”

He caught the grenade thrown from behind Cassian deftly, and tossed it at the arriving Stormtroopers over his shoulder before Jyn had time to tell him what was in his hand. “There were a lot of explosions for two people blending in.” Kay said as the grenade found its mark.

-

Kay had fully decided since the Jedha incident that he didn’t like Jyn. “I hate you.” He had said to her on their trip to Eadu, receiving an offended look from Bodhi instead, who was clearly too nice for his own good.

Jyn acted as though she couldn’t hear him, but the fact that she hadn’t acknowledged him upon disembarking after the crash told him otherwise. Several minutes later, Jyn, Cassian, and Bodhi were plastered to the side of the cliff as the other rebels swooped in. Kay saw it happen clearly – Galen Erso falling to the ground, and Jyn Erso rushing towards him. It was as if she wasn’t even aware that the rain was coming down in heavy sheets. Kay felt a strange heaviness within him as he saw Jyn leaning over Galen, her shoulders visibly shaking. Was he really feeling sympathy for her?

-

They were on Scarif. Kay felt some sort of dull ache of anxiety from the moment they entered the Imperial archives. It was all coming down to that moment. It was time to be a hero, finally. He had finally been given a blaster, and he knew what to do with it. Standing at the control panel, he had already taken out five Stormtroopers. He knew that they would keep coming. Kay heard Cassian’s shout as the door to the archives sealed. “Climb, climb!” were his words to Cassian before he was completely overcome. He was filled with a strong desire to keep his friends safe. He knew they were going to get out of it as he pressed the button. The plans were out. There was ten minutes of nothing but black and aloneness before Kay had company. It was Cassian. “We did it.” He said, a smile lighting up his features.

He looked young and full of life once again, though there were tear tracks on his dirty face.

“That’s… brilliant.” Were the only words Kay could manage.

“I thought maybe you’d calculated the odds of success.” Cassian said.

“No, not this time. I didn’t need the odds because I was optimistic for the first time in a while.” Kay said.

“Nobody expected that, did they?” Cassian asked.

“I think that everybody’s behavior, including my own, really has been continuously unexpected. In a good way.” Kay said.

And then there was darkness again.


End file.
